I get a newsletter from the folks over at Skyline Exhibits and one of their articles caught my eye recently. The article mentions that Tradeshow Week had done a survey about the drayage and labor costs so I went on over to check it out. I won’t recap the findings, but what Skyline indicates is that the labor costs as provided in the survey are not quite as steep a climb as those of 2007.

What was interesting was that the highest gain in costs were audio-visual costs and security. This is an obvious trend with the technology changing the way that it has and how people are using that technology, but I also wonder what the security issues are that warrant those higher costs? I guess people have to guard against theft of that technology!

We hear nothing but gloom and doom in many industries right now and apparently convention and trade shows are not impervious to those reports. The full report* by Skyline can be followed to their site.

*”Used by permission of Skyline Exhibits.”

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I had the opportunity to sit down and speak to Renee Jain (pictured left) of ICC Rents to discuss a little about what their company does and what they offer to convention, trade show and event planners.  ICC Rents began as a family owned business as the vision of Ganpat “Jim” Jain, Renee’s father, in Chicago in 1979. The company began as a computer rental company and has exploded into one of the top rental companies in the trade show world.  What was once only servicing the Chicago area and McCormick Place, now is nationwide and services all the major conventions centers from Orlando to Las Vegas to New York and L.A.  Renee can recall the business in her father’s den when they first started and talks about the long hours it took her father, and later her brother  Raj Jain, to build this business to its current state of a 24/7 full on customer service shop servicing the nation with over 100 employees.

ICC Rents is a company that can provide all of your technology needs from a laptop for your tradeshow booth to that 103″ Plasma TV or seamless Video Wall.  They provide all the back end support as well.  Once you rent a component, you can rest assured that it will be at your show, on time, working, and will be backed by support should anything go wrong.  They have touch screen monitors, interactive kiosks and just about anything that will set your tradeshow booth apart from the competition.  They can help get you noticed on the show floor.

I asked the simple question of “why can’t I just buy a television from the local store and use it?”  She was well prepared with a response and raised many questions I had not thought of, like extension chords, cables, set up and delivery, and many other reasons why renting is a smart investment for using a company like ICC Rents to handle your needs.  Technology becomes obsolete, many pieces of equipment break down and many other reason why having a support team is important in renting the proper equipment.  There are many hidden costs that she discussed as well.  They are truly knowledgeable in the industry and have become quite trusted in more areas than just for a tradeshow.  They have corporate clients that use their services as well for onsite training and setting up meeting and events.  I could not begin to cover all the areas where they can help you with your technology needs.

In addition, and because I am serial procrastinator, this statement she said stuck in my mind:

“We are the last minute provider” ~ Renee Jain

What she meant is that many people forget about something like a required hard case for that 50″ plasma TV for their wall, or they forget that they needed a wall mount for that television or of a cable needed to make it work. When this happens they can be there immediately to cure any forgotten item or to make sure your trade show booth comes off without a hitch.  I think am going to put that number in my pocket for my future trip to Vegas in September as chances are I’ll need it.  With 24/7 service such as theirs, I can rest easy because we all know I’ll forget something.  They can help.

ICC Rents handles any type of tradeshow and not just the technical market.  Everyone is needing technology to catch attention of convention attendees and tradeshow attendees.  She mentioned the bridal industry and agricultural industries and many other areas where technology can enhance your tradeshow experience and produce more leads.

Back in March of 2008, ICC Rents was merged with Smart Source Rentals, a powerful partner that has taken their service and their ability to service trade shows and conventions to the next level.  Give ICC Rents a call for your needs, be it a computer laptop to a wall mounted television to an interactive kiosk.  Tell them Convention Insider sent you!

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I have been following along with the news of what is happening in the Democratic National Convention and a story that is catching a few links is a story by Leslie Wayne of the New York Times. Apparently, the Coors Brewing Company here in the Golden, Colorado has been brewing beer and changing the unsatisfactory stuff and that not fit to sell into ethanol. This ethanol is used in GM cars that operate on E85 fuel. I am not saying that Coors makes bad beer, heck I was brought up on the beer living here in the Denver area. Coors is an icon business here in rockies. Leslie explains more about what will be going on with the beer and how it will be used:

The happy cars getting an injection of beer in their tanks are to be provided by General Motors, designated as the convention’s “Official Vehicle Provider.” G.M., a major sponsor at both conventions, will be showing off its fleet of cars with biofuel capabilities and hybrid technologies to lawmakers often been dubious about Detroit. A fleet of 400 G.M. cars will chauffeur around members of Congress, Democratic officials, state party leaders and other Democratic V.I.P.’s during the four-day extravaganza.

Coors has been a big part of the Denver area and is the title sponsor of the Colorado Rockies field in lower downtown. They are sponsoring the DNC as well. Apparently they are a large contributing sponsor of over $1 Million and are also providing beer for some of the hosted events throughout the 4 day period. I’m looking forward to covering the news that happens here in Denver for the Democratic national Convention. I’ll make sure you can read about the local scene here on Convention Insider.

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I was just reading through Trade Show Week about the difficulty had by a trade show in Alberta, Canada called Rig Expo 2008. Apparently this show did not adhere to the build it and they will come idea. Approximately 60 exhibitors signed up to be a part of the expo that concentrates on the oil field industry. There were plenty of exhibitors but someone forgot to tell the attendees to show up. There were a number of reasons given for the lack of attendance at the show, but that does not take the sting out of the lost investment. The head of the show had anticipated 3,000 to 4,000 attendees and apparently that number shrunk to about 22 attendees in a four hour period. Ouch.

Unfortunately not a lot can be done for the people that paid that $2,500 price tag for a 10′ x 10′ booth. There really are no guarantees. Show organizer Paul Pearson said just this as his answer to the issue of paying back exhibitors:

“We rented the building, we advertised the show, we did everything we could,” he added. “You pay your money and take your chances.”

I’m trying to wrap my mind around the idea that the show organizers did not have a better idea of attendance. They apparently had no pre-sold tickets and had no idea if anyone would show up for the event. Something tells me that many exhibitors won’t be taking chances on this show in the future. I’m sure many of the exhibitors are now calling this the Rigged Expo.

How do you protect your investment? Go with an established show and if the show is not an established trade show, make sure that the people behind it have some good credentials. In this instance it looks as though many of the exhibitors believed the show to be a good one for them invest in and attend.

Michael Hart, Editor-in-Chief at Trade Show Week also touched upon this same problem in his blog post titled “Living With Green Fatigue” as he describes:

The show manager of this launch, designed to market – and stop me if you’ve heard this one before – eco-friendly products and services, had optimistically projected 250 exhibitors and 2,000 attendees.

Our contributing editor Lisa Plummer counted 40 booths and, while the show’s manager claimed he had 350 pre-registered attendees, Lisa said there may have been 15 at the most on the showfloor during the time she was there.

Another example of a show that had some lofty numbers projected and came nowhere near those projections. Those exhibitors also must have felt the sting of not having attendees to show their wares. Hart seems to imply that the reason for the poor attendance is the fact that there are far too many “green” type trade shows on the market. If that is the case, then I suppose it is the fault of the exhibitor for making a bad choice of shows. That can be a hard pill to swallow, and makes it tough for new trade shows to get the establishment they need to get sponsors and exhibitors.

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I just recently came home from a convention and like other times, I pull out my suitcase and go through my receipts, my clothes and shoes and other things I need to wash and put away, and finally I go through the giveaways, or the swag I received from the event. I had a pen, a canvas bag, some sticky notes and other small items that had various company logos and branding. I always look through these things and put the pens in that drawer in my desk, use those note pads constantly, and have that cool toy that my kids fight over. Where do these things come from anyway?

I had a chance to sit down and talk with a company that does just that–promotional products for your convention or trade show. A one stop shop called MARCO Promotional Products.

Ken Arch, President of MARCO Promotional Products is a second generation leader in the company started by his father in 1964. Ken is pictured on the right with company CEO Dick Nelson. Nelson also comes from a company that was started by his own father. The company now has 50+ employees and has two locations to serve their customers.

I spoke with Ken Arch about some of the things that his company is doing and how they are providing products and services to convention and trade show planners. It was a simple idea for Ken as he indicated, “We have been in business a long time and we provide the best products, the best prices, and the best service.” After speaking to Ken for a while it was clear that their company could back up that charge. They truly want to make it easy for companies or the individual to come away with the best of the best in a promotional product. They offer free samples to try before you buy, free art preparation which in most other cases is a charge you will incur, and they can offer 24 hour service. Not only that , they provide real people to speak to when you need to hear a friendly voice on the other end of the phone.

As I wandered around their website I noticed that they too are catering to the ever popular “Green Movement” and providing promotional products that are eco-friendly. In fact, they also provide a glossary of terms to help guide people in the right direction.

MARCO Promotional Products has a wide array of clients and customers from the very large non-profit organizations, to the large corporate customer, to the very small individual with a small order. They also offer very competitive prices and back that with what Ken told me was “double the difference lowest guarantee”, which he explained as ” if you find a lower price we will double the refund to you.” They also have a program for those that have orders not needed to be filled for 60-90 days called their Asia Direct program. This allows MARCO to deal direct with the manufacturer for you in getting you the best price, often times Ken indicated as a “25%-30% savings.”

Right now for Convention Insider readers and those that visit the site at Conventions.net, MARCO Promotional Products is offering a great savings, a $100 savings on a purchase of $300 or more. These details can be found on their site as well. If you are a convention planner, meeting or event planner, you can take advantage of this offer and start saving money on your next event. MARCO will guarantee your savings.

The next time you find yourself pouring through the swag after your next trade show or convention, think about where those materials came from and think about the process it took to get you that item, chances are it came from a company like MARCO Promotional Products! Thank you Mr. Arch for taking time to speak with me and keep up the good work.

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I was thinking the other day about how event planners and convention planners choose the locations of their trade shows or events.  The title of this post is not intended to be an endorsement of Chicago as a place to choose for your next event but merely the name of the official site of the City of Chicago and the Chicago Conventions and Tourism Bureau.  The site talks about planning your next event:

Chicago offers an incredible range of venues for events as small as corporate board meetings to the largest trade shows and convention in the world. The one thing that every Chicago meeting has in common is the assurance that the city’s hospitality community is fully committed to its success.

The City of Chicago has McCormick Place located along Lake Michigan, Navy Pier, and the Arie Crown Theater.   If you think they can’t handle a large event I guess we could always wait and see how a show with 74,000 attendees does in the next few days.  The National Restaurant Association is holding an event at McCormick Place.

I really like the layout of their site and the ease of use it provides for Meeting Planners.  They have a great resource guide for the people in the industry and list them all out so they are easy to find.  With hundreds of businesses listed they also have them broken down into categories for a quick look at what you might need.  They make it nice to actually “Choose Chicago”.  Job well done for the people at CCTB.

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Companies are using technology in ways that are innovative and beneficial for catering to the online world.  Trade shows and conventions must begin to search for ways to make technology work for them and allow them to also get into the online world.  One of the ways to accomplish this is to look for companies that are thinking ahead of the curve and making it possible to change the way business is conducted.  One such company that is out ahead and innovative is Trade Show News Television.

I had a chance to sit down and speak to the CEO of Trade Show News Television, Mr. Bob Lipp.  Bob has a very good understanding of creating exposure for your company, as he comes from an advertising agency background.  Bob opened his first ad agency long ago before anything digital was ever imagined.

“It seems like a former lifetime,” said Bob, when asked to remember the way it was. “Today, everything is digital, and with streaming video capabilities expanding on the web, more businesses, business magazine publishers, and trade show managers, are looking to video to deliver the message.”

This is a unique opportunity for trade shows and conventions and others in the industry.  Event planners and convention planners must take a look at the service provided by Lipp and his company. 

“More than ever, business customers and prospects access their information online through streaming video,” stated Lipp. “Our concept gives trade show exhibitors a unique sales tool that continues to support sales long after the trade show has ended.”

As a person that is hooked up in the use of new media for advertising, marketing and PR, I must say that I am very impressed with the company and their message.  I’m contacted daily by companies looking for ways to get into the new media space using sites like You Tube, FaceBook and Myspace.  They see the power behind the use of those new forms of media and are trying to find ways to get into the space.  The possibilities for the use of this company’s services are limitless.  I can see that exhibitors, and show managers can use this service to enhance the reach they have and to allow them to show many other people that otherwise are not able to get the experience of their trade show or convention.  It allows people the opportunity to get a feel for the excitement. 

Look into this company and their affordable services.  Trade Show News Television offers three streaming video packages: focus, reach and custom, each based on the need for content, distribution and additional marketing support.  Some of their samples are an excellent look into what they provide as well as the video above. 

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I have been spending a lot of time lately speaking to and interviewing some of the leaders in our industry of conventions and trade shows and I will be doing a series of posts to reveal the results of those interviews and discussions.  One of the things that seems to occur to me after speaking to these industry leaders is that there seems to be a shift in what is the norm in trade shows and conventions and how they are being handled.  I have heard tell of new technologies being used, new players in the old world of how things were done and show managers that are seeking new ways to plan events and shows.  One thing is certain, there will be some benefit to the show exhibitors and attendees based on the changes I have seen in little areas.  Stay tuned for more information as I get all my notes together and get my posts completed.

If you would like to be featured as a thought leader in the industry or if you are doing things in the convention or trade show industry that you feel is revolutionizing the way we do business, please feel free to drop us a line or use the contact section to let us know about you.  I’ll be contacting many others to find ways to reveal what is happening in the world we live in.

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Growing up as a young boy on the western slope of Colorado we didn’t have much for television.  In fact I think we had a local farm report at 6:00 in the morning and part of the Dick Van Dyke show at about 6:00 in the evening.  It must have been related to the satellite that made it’s way around the planet every twelve hours.  Since I didn’t get the same chance to watch TV as other kids my age, I got into comic books.  I loved sitting and looking at the stories, and later when I was old enough to read actually reading the stories.

I have been waiting for a comic book convention to come to town that I can attend, but it does not look like that will happen anytime soon but I could travel out to San Diego, California for Comic-Con International.  The event is set to take place July 24-27, 2008 at the San Diego Convention Center.  This is the 39th year for the event and if it has the same success it had in 2007, the event will see 125,000 attendees.  The event was sold out last year and they fully expect to see that happen again in 2008.  They do not sell passes for the event on site so you must register online.

One of the things that caught my attention with this event was their use of a blog to help attendees with their questions and problems with getting a place to stay while in San Diego.  The blog relates:

In 2007, Comic-Con International had 125,000 attendees. We realize the challenges related to an event of this size. One of the most challenging aspects of attending Comic-Con is trying to reserve a hotel room. Each year, we open hotel reservations only to have them initially sell out in a matter of hours. And while rooms almost always are added or become available due to cancellations, the simple fact of the matter is there are not enough hotel rooms in San Diego for everyone who wants to attend Comic-Con.

This seems to be a real problem, and I really wonder why they continue to have the event in San Diego when apparently the event has outgrown the host city.  A blog is a big help to communicate to your attendees, but you would think they would address the problems of the lack of hotel accommodations with a different location or some other solution.  Good luck if you have not booked your room for this convention.

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Tomorrow marks the new season of Deadliest Catch, a Discovery show that talks about the dangers of commercial fishing off the coast of Alaska.  I have been following with interest on this show because of the drama that unfolds to put that snow crab and king crab on my plate that I love so much.  They refer to the crab catches as “gold”, and for good reason given the amount of money they stand to make with a good harvest of crab in Alaska.  Naturally, since I was interested in this I decided to see if there was a commercial fishing convention or trade show out there for these dangerous employees to enjoy during the off season.  What I thought would be a very fancy trade show and convention turned out to be a event held not in Vegas or Orlando or New York City, but on the island of Kodiak in nothing other than the local High School.

Comfish Alaska 2008, was recently held last month at the Kodiak High School Auditorium.  I can only assume they used the event location during the time when the students are out for Spring Break.  The event celebrated its 29th year and has lots of interesting vendors listed for the event, including of course, the City of Kodiak and other local businesses and sponsors.

As I expected, right in the beginning of the events was the presentation about sinking ships:

Flooding Control: Knowledge & Tools to Prevent Sinking - Hands on training and videos by the nationally acclaimed AK Marine Safety Education Association. Don’t go down with the ship! Presenter: Steven Campbell, AMSEA/Kodiak

Obviously, the Deadliest Catch was right along these lines.  Other seminars talk about Exxon Valdez lawsuit updates and the value of the King Crab market.  All things that are important to the Captains and crews of the fishing industry.  I suppose they will be holding this again next year for their 30th show at the same location.  I guess a blue collar job such as commercial fishing needs just four walls and a roof for their trade show.  I would love to attend just to see what the event is like, I’ll bring the melted butter!

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